Making a Difference - A Medical Malpractice Story
Posted by
Greg OwenJanuary 04, 2008 5:54 PMAs a result of the death of their beloved son Michael, due to what is believed to have been medical malpractice, David and Patty Skolnik helped push through House Bill 1331 better known as The Michael Skolnik Medical Transparency Act.
"The Michael Skolnik Medical Transparency Act will make public, via a Web site, information about doctors' license status and medical malpractice settlements." Initially, all doctors will not have to provide updated information. However, when licensed doctors wish to renew their license they must provide information regarding their malpractice convictions, if any.
The bill came about when the Skolniks' only son, Michael, 22, received what the Skolniks describe as unnecessary surgery from an inexperienced doctor who jostled Michael's brain. After the surgery, Michael was half-blind, partly paralyzed, was psychotic and had the reasoning ability of a third-grader. On June 4, 2004 Michael died, after what the Skolniks describe as two years of hell and $4.8 million in medical expenses. Subsequent to the surgery, David and Patty found out that the doctor who preformed the surgery on their son, not only had a malpractice claim and settlement in Georgia, he had only done the procedure once before. Now, when someone is in the position of needing to choose a surgeon they can make an educated decision instead of a stab in the dark. Each doctor's records will be open for all to see. The disclosure will cover the doctors' records in all states. Patty Skolnik said "I'm really pleased that it became law, and I'm pleased it went through with Michael's name on it."
For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Medical Malpractice and Negligent Care.